


The Serpent and The Falcon

by mihawque (mona_liar)



Series: Mihawk and Hancock are Shakky's children!AU - mostly stand alone fics [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, Character Study, Gen, Hancock & Mihawk are half-siblings, Trans Dracule Mihawk, Trans Male Character, canon compliant up to Chapter 956, character introspection, relationship introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:59:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26252293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mona_liar/pseuds/mihawque
Summary: The night she was crowned Empress of Amazon Lily, Boa Hancock received a secret visit of Shakuyaku, who revealed to her that not only were the Boa Sisters her daughters, but that they had a half-brother — Dracule Mihawk, Shakky and Rayleigh's son. For the next 11 years, Hancock kept this secret to herself and took great care not to meet her mysterious and powerful relative. 11 years, until the World Government announced the public execution of Portgas D. Ace and the Seven Warlords of the Sea were called to fight at the side of the Marines.Hancock wanted to continue her life and protect her people as she had always done; but the tides were turning and there are things no human has control over.
Relationships: Boa Hancock & Dracule Mihawk, No Romantic Relationship(s), other non-romantic relationships
Series: Mihawk and Hancock are Shakky's children!AU - mostly stand alone fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1907155
Comments: 19
Kudos: 43





	1. Preparations

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to this fic!  
> There have been numerous theories all over the internet about Mihawk being Rayleigh's son and Shakky being a Kuja and since I love both Hancock and Mihawk and think they look were elegant standing next to each other, I thought to myself that these have the potential for a very interesting story and character dynamics. It's not like Hancock gets a lot of character development and since I miss Mihawk and his rare appearances, I'm going to use this opportunity to give him some backstory.  
> This fic is both canon compliant (it fits into the story told by the manga without deviation) and canon divergent (I honestly do not think Oda will make Hancock & Mihawk as siblings actual canon). The only thing I changed is that Hancock is not in love with Luffy but this has no effect on the actual events of the One Piece canon. 
> 
> Have fun reading!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At Mary Geoise, Hancock has a lot on her plate. Between the threat of the looming war and Luffy risking his life in Impel Down, she has to face a third enemy: meeting her brother for the first time.

The sound of Hancock’s steps echoed through the corridor every time her stiletto heels touched the floor. With each stride, her heart grew a little heavier and fear dug its sharp claws a little deeper into her soul. Ever since she had left Impel Down, with nothing to do but look forward, her worries about Luffy had been pushed to the back of her mind — present, looming but never overwhelming — and replaced by a problem she had hoped to escape for the rest of her life. She now recognized it had been foolish and naïve to expect so. There was no escape from family.

Hancock clearly remembered the day she learned about him, as if someone had embroidered the memories into the fabric of her mind. How could she not? It had been her coronation, she had been given power, obedience, a country to rule, all in a matter of hours. Following all of this, she had not expected Shakuyaku to await her in her chambers when she returned from the celebrations. At first, she had been overwhelmed with joy. It had been two years since Rayleigh and Shakky had helped her and her sisters return to Amazon Lily and two years since they had last seen each other. No one had alerted Hancock about her arrival; it had been an utter surprise.

It had taken nothing but two sentences for this joy to evaporate into thin air.

“ _Sit down, Hancock,_ ” Shakky had said. “ _I have something important to tell you_.” It had been the calm before the storm, the last warning before she had delivered the life shattering blow.

The ex-pirate Shakuyaku was her birth mother: This was a revelation Hancock had not cared about then and did not care about now. Amazon Lily was her home and the Kuja were her family and this was how it had always been. After 18 years, it had been too late for her mother — for _Shakky_ to make up lost times. The second revelation had been the real surprise. _You have a brother, Hancock_. She had been handed a bounty poster, already slightly frayed at the edges, and bleached out by the sun, but the name and the bounty still contrasted starkly with the paper, printed in deep black. She had taken it without saying a word, had still been processing what she had just heard. Boa Hancock — Captain of the Kuja Pirates and Empress of Amazon Lily, the island of women where no man was allowed to set foot on, which had never seen a man be born on its soil — had a brother. _Half-brother_ , Shakky had clarified, but this had been nothing but semantics, really. Hancock had only half listened to any further explanations, who he was, why Shakky hadn’t revealed this to her earlier, all meaningless decorum around a truth she had not been prepared for. Then, the other woman had disappeared into the night and to this day, no one knew else knew about her visit; Hancock had never told Sandersonia and Marigold about what she had learned. It would have been cruel of her to burden them with such knowledge.

Since then, she had spent numerous nights lying awake, thinking about her half-brother, about Dracule Mihawk.

Shortly after, she had been offered a position as one of the seven Warlords. All of Amazon Lily had celebrated, Gloriosa had urged her to accept the position, and Hancock had hesitated. Being a Warlord would undeniably bring great advantages to the Kuja, but if push came to shove, she would have to obey the World Government. _He_ was one of the Warlords, his name renowned over all five oceans with a reputation build on nothing but his own skill. In the end, she had accepted the offer. It had ultimately been the right decision and to this day, Hancock did not regret doing so. He had not been present in Mary Geoise when her new official position had been announced and in the 11 years since then, she had never stepped foot on this unholy land again. He had never contacted her. Nothing had changed.

Hancock had long since given up wondering if Shakky had ever told him about her existence, about their sanguine bonds. It should not matter. It _did_ not matter. And yet, with every step she took towards the imposing doors at the end of the corridor, doors behind which she would meet _him_ at last, her heart beat stronger and the urge to turn around and leave was becoming harder to resist.

The Vice-Admiral who had accompanied her ever since she had left Amazon Lily gave the signal to open the door. Near silently, the two wings opened, revealing what laid behind it; a room filled with some of the strongest individuals in the world, each one a force to be reckoned with, all assembled for the first time since Hancock could remember. It was a strange sight to witness the Seven Warlords of the Sea enjoy lunch together, and if they were not enjoying it, the sonic level in the room could have fooled anyone standing outside.

Five of them were present, herself not included. Considering Jimbei was chained to a wall at the very bottom of Impel Down, this meant Hancock was the last to arrive. Sengoku turned around to acknowledge her presence.

“Boa Hancock. You have left us waiting.”

“You should be glad I’m here at all,” she answered, bile coming up in her throat. The words tasted bitter in her mouth. Speaking with a Marine would always feel the same.

Beginning with Sengoku, who was sitting at the far end of the table closest to her, and going clockwise, were sitting Garp, Hawkeye, Moria — who was wearing bandages for a reason that eluded her — a tall newcomer who was stuffing his mouth with what appeared to be cherry pie, Doflamingo, Kuma, a Marine officer and Tsuru, a vice-admiral. She had already been present the last time Hancock had submitted herself to visit Mary Geoise again. It was as if she was part of the structure of the city itself, unmoving and eternal.

The Vice-Admiral who shadowed her pulled out a chair next to Garp, right between the Hero of the Marines and Hawkeye. How naïve of them to think she would allow them to order her around like this.

All it took was a well-placed, Haki-enforced kick to send the Marine Officer sitting between Kuma and Tsuru and his chair flying across the room. Holding the Vice-Admiral’s gaze, Hancock sat down on Salome and covered her legs with her coat. She would not allow any of these men to look upon her.

“Well, at last all of the remaining Warlords are here. Thank you for accepting our request for assistance,” Sengoku said. Hancock could hear Doflamingo snicker. “We will explain the battle plan after everyone has finished their lunch.”

A fresh-faced woman, freckles dusted along her cheeks and nose, walked up to Hancock’s side. She looked nervous but determined.

“What may I bring you to drink, Pirate Empress?”

“White sake.”

“Of course, right away.” The woman bowed and shuffled away, never turning her back to Hancock. She was pretty, and cute. It was sad to see her scared when there was no place she could be safer than with the Pirate Empress herself. After all, the celestial dragon’s liked pretty and cute women, and they were somewhere in this city, tainting Hancock’s perception with their mere presence.

It took the woman no more than a few minutes to come back with a silver tray, which she slowly and carefully put down on the table in front of Hancock. It carried a small ceramic cup, skilfully and delicately painted, and a matching tokkuri. The woman held it with both hands to fill the cup and carefully placed it back onto the tray.

“Thank you,” Hancock said and smiled at her. The woman blushed furiously and bowed once more, before making a hasty retreat. She was truly endearing. It was a shame she would inevitably rot away to her very core by the simple fact of spending time in this place.

“Don’t do that,” Tsuru said. Hancock resisted the urge to throw something in her face.

“How dare you give me orders?”, she hissed, instead. She would prefer to shout, assert who had the power in this room, who had _control_ , but the situation required diplomacy, and, in this instance, diplomacy signified quiet compliancy. Hancock hated it. Coming here was a bad idea. The only hope she had left was that Luffy succeeded in freeing Ace and she could go back to Amazon Lily, go back home, before this war even started. It would be the best outcome for everyone involved, even the marines. She still did not understand why the execution had to be carried out publicly. Same as with the pirate king, they made grand gestures to assert their dominance, taking the risk of far greater problems they could not fully anticipate. This time, she had the misfortune of being dragged into it.

At least she still had her title as a Warlord. Amazon Lily and her people would not risk the wrath of the marines, neither the pirates, nor the guard members, nor the children who had made this horrible clay statue of her. It was the right decision. Luffy was strong, he had the will of a conqueror; he would succeed.

Tsuru sighed. “There is no way to win with you people. You are either absolute brutes or wear your disguise like masters, putting doubt in all these good people’s minds.”

“Maybe you should work harder on quelling any reason for doubt they might have, then,” Hancock snarled. The sake burned slightly on her tongue, even after she swallowed. Good. There was no way for her to get through this lunch completely sober.

In the eleven years since officially becoming a pirate, Hancock had done her best to stay away from Mary Geoise and from the other Warlords. It had been easy, and it had been the right decision. The so called holy city was too risky as a place to rely on physical perception without the additional aid of Haki and the mere presence of the celestial dragons spread throughout the city, a presence she could not escape if she wanted to keep her guard up, was already enough to awaken the urge in Hancock to stomp everything to the ground. The food flying into Garp’s, Moria’s and the new Warlord’s mouths as if they were garbage shutes did nothing to brighten her mood. Hawkeye seemed to have finished eating already, his plate empty besides his feet, which he had propped up on the table. He had no manners, and _this_ was who Hancock was related to? What a disgrace. He had pulled his hat down and she could not see his face, but he appeared to be sleeping. Maybe he hadn’t even noticed her come in. In truth, Hancock doubted this — there was no way someone of Hawkeyes calibre would actually let his guard down in situations like this one — but if he was determined on ignoring her, it would be for the best. No one could know about their blood affiliation and the easiest way to keep it this way was to avoid any and all kinds of suspicion for either of them.

For the rest of the lunch and the entire meeting which followed, Hawkeye did not look at her once. Hancock decided to do the same. After all, it was very well possible he did not even know he had a sister. Hancock herself hadn’t even known who her mother was for the first 18 years of her life and Marigold and Sandersonia were still in the dark about this matter; who was she to say Hawkeye was an exception to this rule? Maybe he lived in blissful ignorance and Hancock was wasting her time overanalysing the situation. Luffy was in Impel Down, risking his life for his brother, she had to prepare herself for the still realistic possibility that she had to enter a war against Whitebeard himself and the world was balancing on the point of a very small pin, a position in which it could topple over at any moment and all sense of order which had existed until this very moment would be immediately lost to chaos.

It was best not to dwell on it, really. If things would go according to Hancock’s wishes, they would forever remain strangers. In this moment, it very much looked like the universe would indulge her in this matter.

A young marine who seemed scared to the very bone, shaking like a leaf in the wind, showed Hancock to her room. It was spacious and in an isolated part of the building. According to Sengoku, she was forbidden from going into the city without Marine supervision. As if anyone could move Hancock to sully herself by gracing it with her presence. Instead, there was one important thing she had to do. News about a successful evasion of Portgas D. Ace from Impel Down had yet to reach her and no matter how determined Luffy was and how strongly she believed in him, there was no guarantee he would succeed in his endeavour to save his brother. The thought alone made Hancock feel as if her heart had been ripped into a thousand pieces. Whatever was happening to him in Impel Down this very moment had to be horrors she could only imagine too well. Nonetheless, if Luffy failed or if he came too late and his brother had already been taken to Marineford, there was no way the Luffy she knew would comply and do nothing. Hancock had to be prepared for every possible scenario. And if the war between the Marines and Whitebeard truly came to pass, she had to be prepared to free Portgas D. Ace from his shackles; both figuratively and literally. It was the least she could do for Luffy.

Now, all Hancock needed if she wanted to steal the key from the Marines without being noticed, was a plan.

The next day, at ten in the morning, someone knocked on the door to Hancock’s room. She was already dressed, one of the keys to Portgas D. Ace’s shackles tucked away beneath her dress, where no one would dare to look. Without saying a word, she followed the soldier, Salome slithering beside her. There had still been no news about a possible escape from Impel Down. With every step Hancock took, the war grew closer.

Together with Kuma and Moria, Hancock descended to the red-port, where a warship was already waiting, busy with preparations. Cabinboys and soldiers alike were running around, cranes were lifting cargo onto the ship and the entire space was filled with noise. Now that she could neither sense nor see the cursed city, Hancock could breathe slightly easier. This did not mean that all her problems had suddenly vanished, only one of them. Hawkeye was standing by the railing, his black sword trapped to his back, looking down on them. It seemed he had arrived earlier, how much, Hancock could not say. Maybe he had truly been sleeping during lunch and woken up at dawn. There were numerous rumours about him circulating the Grand Line, the ones about his more nocturnal sleep patterns seemed more realistic compared to the rest. When Hancock met his gaze, he looked back for a few seconds, then abruptly turned around and walked away. 

Hancock had no idea what to make of her brother. But one thing she did know: Hawkeye was a very fitting epithet for Dracule Mihawk. When he had looked at her, it was as if he had starred into the depth of her very soul.

One hour later, Doflamingo finally joined them as well. After some frenetic whispering, the captain ordered to lift the anchor and set sail. With each wave they sailed away from the celestial dragons, they got closer to the centre of the storm that would soon become Marineford.

It was only after the Red Line had already almost disappeared on the horizon that Hancock noticed someone was missing. The tall Warlord who had been eating cherry pies the day before was not on the ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally made Hancock drink Whiskey during lunch but then I actually looked up Chapter 517 and saw that she asked for Sake, so I changed it. This is quite sad, because I actually looked up quite a few things about Whiskey since both Mihawk and Hancock are snobs about this kind of thing and that’s just a (headcanoned) fact. I googled how to drink whiskey, I googled what the English word for “Pipette” is, I DESERVE RECOGNITION FOR MY HARD WORK EVEN IF IT TURNED OUT USELESS IN THE END!


	2. Never enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the Paramount War, Amazon Lily gets a visit from Rayleigh. There is much for him and Hancock to talk about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for everyone who left Kudos and commented on the last chapter! I'm incredibly happy you enjoy this fic and your feedback was the fuel which spurred me on while I wrote this chapter as fast as possible. It is much longer than the last one but I hope you'll like it anyway. Please enjoy!

People who have never been involved in a fight, never been to war, cannot understand what it feels like. Hancock was not one of those people. She already had more experience on the battlefield than the average person would have in their lifetime and she was not happy about earning even more. When she had departed from Mary Geoise that morning, she knew of the tragedy awaiting her; and yet, the harsh reality of the fight she had to face was nothing she could have prepared for.

In hindsight, the Paramount War was memorable not in its length nor in its violence, but for the people fighting it and the ideals they were defending. From the moment Hancock had taken her place on the wall, greeted by Mihawk on her right with nothing but a court and silent nod, until the arrival of Red Hair Shanks who declared the War was over, three hours, at most four passed. It was like a blur, a bundle of memory strings which would end up entangled, impossible to sort through and bring into order. It was still too early to think about everything that had happened. It was not yet time.

Hancock pushed all the things battling for her attention to the back of her mind and instead willed herself to focus of Salome’s vital Haki signature. If she did not want to lose the slight thread binding her snake to her observation Haki, her concentration could not waver; if that happened, Luffy would be lost and she had no information on where the pirate with the submarine would take him. She would not allow this to happen.

For this, for Luffy’s sake, Hancock allowed the doctor — Trafalgar Law, he had said his name was — to stay on Amazon Lily and supervise his convalescence. A rule as old as the reign of the Kuja on the island had been broken for the survival of a single man. When Hancock had been crowned Empress, she had vowed to her people and to herself to uphold the ancient traditions and protect them from any harm the outside world might bring upon them. But Luffy, a single man, a _boy,_ really, had made it impossible for her to uphold her promises. Hancock had done many bad things in her life, would do many more in the future, but she could not have lived with herself if she had abandoned Luffy to an early demise. There was something about him, about the way he had looked at her and asked for her help which made it impossible to say no. She had pledged her allegiance and her help to him, to the boy who had protected her and as she was waiting for news and to be allowed to see him, she realised she would keep this pledge until Death — preferable hers rather than his.

It had been several days since Hancock had arrived back on Amazon Lily and she had reclused herself in her castle under the pretence to immediately re-take her responsibilities as Empress as soon as possible. In truth, Hancock knew she had other reasons for her this temporary isolation. With the other pirates and Luffy, a Fishman had come on the island, one she had nearly as much reason to avoid as she had for Mihawk. Jimbei had a reputation which preceded him, even before he had accepted another position as a Warlord. Even if he had not been a person of great strength and respect, his position in the Sun Pirates and as a confidant of Fisher Tiger, was enough to make Hancock go out of his way . There was a possibility he knew things and simply because he had yet to approach her about them, did not mean that he could not do so in the future. She did not know if he knew anything about her past in Mary Geoise, about the horrors experienced by the slaves, but she had heard the tales about the sign burned into the skin of the crew-members, all of them, without exception. The sun, big enough to cover a hoof. This risk of knowledge about the Boa Sister’s past, no matter how small, was one Hancock could not take .

When the news that Luffy had woken up finally reached her, Hancock immediately asked for her carriage to be readied for departure. Gloriosa insisted on coming along as well, as if Hancock was a child that needed supervision. The four of them — Sandersonia and Marigold had accepted to accompany them as well — made their way to the small piece of coastline where the pirates were allowed to stay. They took great amounts of food in tow. Luffy had needed it to keep his strength on the Marine Ship to Impel Down, even when he had been healthy at the time; it wou1d be no surprise to Hancock if he required even greater masses of food to recover from his injuries. Being awake was not synonymous with being well, after all, as Hancock knew all too well.

On their way to the small piece of coastline, cut off from the rest of the island by simple yet big pieces of cloth hung on sticks like curtains, she could already hear the ruckus and cacophony of voices, the level of noise somehow characteristic of Luffy wherever he went. The louder the voices grew, the more Hancock’s heartbeat slowed down, calm and at ease. Luffy was truly alive and well. She had not failed at her task.

As soon as the carriage passed the fabric barrier, Hancock began searching for Luffy . He had to be here, she had heard his voice! Behind her, Sandersonia, Marigold and Gloriosa began talking loudly but Hancock paid them no mind. They shouted something at her, but she did not listen. Luffy seemed in perfectly good health, had it not been for the thick bandages covering his body. Hancock barely caught a glimpse of his joyful face, somehow still innocent and without fright after the horrors he had witnessed and experienced, but she immediately had to look away when she took in the state of his physical demise. It was a miracle he was still alive. No one should ever have to bear the same burden and grief as he had done. But he was safe, and that was all that mattered in this moment.

Hancock did not look at Jimbei, although she could see how he eyed the food she had brought. It was not his to eat. He had been alive awake for much longer than Luffy, if he had been hungry he must have had ample time to procure himself a meal ever since. As she turned away to better ignore him, Hancock caught sight of someone else, who had escaped her attention. This level of accomplishment in stealth alone was a testament to his skill and strength and under any other ccircumstances, Hancock would have prepared for a fight, one she would likely lose, the moment his presence touched her perception. Thankfully, she knew she had nothing to fear from Rayleigh.

He must have been the one Sandersonia and Marigold had been so loud to see.

“You’re Rayleigh, aren’t you?", she asked. It was better to play it safe, rather than put her sisters in danger. Maybe he didn’t even know about Shakuyaku’s nightly visit all these years ago and still lived under the impression that they were nothing but three girls they had saved from the aristocrats and brought home. It would certainly make things easier. But something in his piercing gaze told Hancock otherwise. The Dark King simply smiled and continued talking to Gloriosa. Good. Silence was gold, after all.

Hancock listened to their conversation with one ear about how he had tracked down Luffy. It was frightening indeed how easily Rayleigh had found them, but he was a man of great power and his title was far from hot air he could allow himself to wave around to impress other.

Most importantly, he was right. Hancock had paid great care to fly under the radar for her rescue of Luffy. No one would find them here and if by chance this assumption turned out to be false, the Marines and the World Government were far too vulnerable in their current state to afford the casualties an attack on the Pirate Island that was Amazon Lilly would bring them. Luffy and everyone else on the island was safe — for now.

Later that night, long after Hancock had returned to the palace, Enishida knocked on the door to her private chambers.

"What is it?"

“I am sorry to disturb you at this late hour, Snake Princess but there is a man asking to speak to you."

A man? If it were Luffy, Enishida would have said so. By now, everyone knew his name and the liking Hancock had taken to him, This was someone else, and there were not many men on the island who could allow themselves the freedom of walking up right to her doorstep. Her Haki did not pick up any notable presence but if this man was who she suspected him to be, he would have no difficulty to hide his Will from her.

"What man?", Hancock asked to confirm her suspicions.

"It’s- it’s the Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh, Snake Princess.”

"Did he say what he wanted to speak with me about?"

"No, only that it was a private matter.”

"Hm, he truly hasn’t changed," hummed Hancock under her breath and then, loud enough for Enishida do hear: "Let him in. I will grant the Dark King’s request . "

Hancock saw the surprise in Enishida’ s face, but did not ask about it. She was in no position to question this decision, especially not concerning someone with a reputation and history like Rayleigh’s. To the outside, to those who would hear about it in case Enishida could not keep her mouth shut, it would appear like a strange, difficult decision for Hancock, but not one that was impossible to understand. They had all heard about Marineford and the events which took place there. They knew the tides were turning and the certain changes were something they would have to grow accustomed to, as hard as that might be. Their Princess was no exception to this rule.

While Hancock awaited for Rayleigh to be brought to her chambers — she would not allow for this to be turned into anything official as would be the case if she granted him an audience — she decided to get dressed more formally, more covered. He was still a man, no matter what he had done to help her in the past. When he walked into the room, he moved as if he belonged there, self-confident and smiling. It was not just a façade. His Haki did not betray any kind of uncertainty or falsehood in the image he projected.

Some part of Hancock, deep down in the darkness of her soul and desires, wanted to see him quiver before her, for Rayleigh to sink to his knees in awe of her strength and power. But he was her guest, and he might be helpful. People like him were not to be provoked, if she even managed that far. To him, Hancock was likely still the child he had seen sitting in his bar a long time ago, wrapped in a blanket and covering before him, refusing to look him in the eye because he might be one of Them. But time has passed and she was not this teenage girl anymore and Hancock would prove it to him.

“Rayleigh. It has been a long time since we last saw each other. What brings you to my palace in the middle of the night?”

He laughed. It was a heartful laugh, kind and carefree.

“Thank you for receiving me. Indeed it has been a long time. 12 years now, wasn’t it. I can see you’ve come a long way. I’m happy you could find peace and your old home here once more.”

Hancock did not indulge Rayleigh on his small talk. Amazon Lily was her home and she would defend it until her dying breath, but it was not the Home she had left when she was 12. These were things he did not need to know.

“You came all this way and broke our most sacred law to be nostalgic about old times?”, Hancock asked, mocking. It was insufferable when people could not get to the point and wasted her precious time talking about niceties, as if they could change her reaction to their true requests.

“Ah, yes, Men are forbidden. Well, I cannot say I’m too surprised; even under a force of nature like Luffy, change takes time. No, I am not only here to be _nostalgic about old times_ , as you put it. I want to thank you from the bottom of my soul for everything you’ve done for Luffy. The world would become a much darker place without him. I know it could not have been easy for you, but I promise your sacrifice will not have been for naught.”

“You do not need to thank me. I owe Luffy a debt, far more than I will ever be able to repay him. And I do not think someone like him would like to know you had spoken these words in his place. If he wants to, he will thank me. If he doesn’t, it will not diminish my respect or my gratitude towards him.”

“You truly have grown proud, Hancock.”

For a short moment, Hancock thought she could see something akin to regret fleet over Rayleigh’s face, but if it did, the expression was gone immediately. Instead, he looked serious, pensive.

“Is that all?”, she asked.

“No. Hancock, did- At Marineford, did you talk to your brother?”

Rayleigh knew. Hancock took a deep breath. This was not the right moment to show weakness or uncertainty. She took great effort to keep her voice cold, steady, unmoving.

“Shakuyaku told you the truth about us, then? About me and my sisters?”

“It was the first thing she told me when we met again after your birth.”

All this time, he had known. When Rayleigh and Shakuyaku had taken them in after escaping Mary Geoise, they had both known whose children they had both saved. And they had never thought about telling them. Hancock could not help but be grateful about the blissful ignorance this had granted her.

“Do you resent her? For not revealing it to you earlier, for leaving you here alone on Amazon Lily?”, Rayleigh asked.

“No.” Hancock pushed herself up from where she was sitting on her bed and walked over to her small private bar. Without saying a word and listening to Rayleigh’s silence, she poured two glasses of Shaoxing wine. “Shakuyaku did not _leave_ us here and she certainly did not leave us here _alone_. She decided to go somewhere else to live her life, as is her right and no Kuja will ever be imprisoned on this island. Amazon Lily is my home, Rayleigh, and the people living here are my family. These women raised me, educated me, taught me to fight and to command respect. I am thankful to Shakuyaku for her decision, for it made me and Marigold and Sandersonia into the people we are today and that is all that I could ever ask for.”

Angry, Hancock drank her glass in one go. Rayleigh carefully took the second one when she held it out to him.

“Thank you.”

Hancock poured herself a second glass and sat down on Salome, careful to appear relaxed and unbothered.

“To answer your question, no, I did not talk to Dracule Mihawk. In case you weren’t aware, we were surrounded by Marines the entire time and had the attention of the entire World on us. That aside, it did not seem like he is aware that I am his sister so I thought it wiser not to breach the subject.”

Rayleigh sighed. Slowly, he lowered himself to the floor and sat down with his legs crossed. The glass of Shaoxing was still untouched and rang lightly as he put it down on the tiled floor.

“He knows about you. I told him quite early, you must still have been a baby and he was around 15, maybe 16? He had just received his first bounty. But this is not what I came here to talk about. My point is, Hancock, it has been a long time since you learned about the ties you have to him and even longer that he has known about you, I know that. Trust me that I do not intend to push you to do something you would not have under normal circumstances but this is how things are: if the you want to get to know him, or at least want the two of you to acknowledge one another’s existence, you will have to be the one to make the first step. Mihawk certainly is a man with an intimidating reputation and not the easiest to approach but otherwise you’ll remain strangers forever.”

These were not the words Hancock had expected to hear. She took another sip and let Rayleigh’s plea — for what else could it be? — sit in her thoughts while the wine settled on her tongue.

“Do you think I should get to know him? If he has known about my- _our_ existence for so long, isn’t it possible he does not want anything to do with us?”, she finally asked. Rayleigh did not hesitate on what he had to say.

“Yes, I think you should. If the last weeks have shown us anything, it’s that allies and information are the most important tools to gather for the times to come and you could certainly help each other out. There is a storm coming, Hancock, I know you are smart enough to feel it too. And when there’s a storm, it is best not to be alone in the waters.”

Then he made a slight pause and finally took the glass of Shaoxing wine again. It looked so small between his fingers. Or he simply had big hands. No matter which, the contrast was striking.

“As for Mihawk never… reaching out to you, I- it is not my place to speak of his intentions or his motivation why he did or did not do certain things. You will have to ask him in person. But- Earlier this year, he visited me on Sabaody. He asked about you. All of you, Sandersonia and Marigold as well. You will be welcome in his home if you ever decided to acknowledge him as your brother, that much is certain.”

“You say this as if he would like to meet us. He has a curious way of showing this, his personal interest in getting to know his family. If he has known of his sisters for so long, how come I’m hearing all of this for the first time from _you_?”

Rayleigh smiled again. He was leaned forward, elbows resting on his thighs and his white hair falling on his shoulders before disappearing down his back. He smiled again, but this time Hancock could clearly see it was a smile overshadowed by sadness.

“There is always the possibility for a man to grow and regret his own passivity, even if his lack of action was due to ignorance. Mihawk is not used to feeling such shame, and I fear it might be paralysing him. He might think the last moment for him to make the first step has long past and it is now too late. This is mere speculation of course. I’m sure there are others reasons as well.” The last sentence was added almost hastily and before Rayleigh could continue any further, Hancock interrupted him.

“What other reasons could these be?” For if Hancock ever were to meet Mihawk, to give in to Rayleigh’s recommendation of reaching out to her blood for potential allies — a wise foresight, even if she disliked having to agree with the old man — she would not go blindly.

Rayleigh sighed.

“Mihawk has a… _complicated_ relation to the Kuja, to Amazon Lily. More I cannot tell you. Like I said, there are things that are not mine to talk about and if you want to know more, you will have to give something in return, a sign of vulnerability, even if only by showing him you accept him as your brother.”

“Hm. You sure are full of yourself, coming onto _my_ island, into _my_ palace to consult me on how I should act, yet you’re refusing me any kind of information that might actually help me understand why I should do so. I see men haven’t changed.”

“Indeed. On that note, I have a favour to ask you.”

Hancock could barely hold back a groan. Rayleigh had saved her life, he had helped Luffy and seemed like a good man, but he either lacked the critical skill of reading the room or he decided to ignore the meaning he had gathered from doing so. No matter the actual reason for it, his behaviour was beginning to make her nerves stretch dangerously thin.

“What is it?”, she asked, leaning her head against her fist, elbow resting on Salome. It was late, a lot of happened and she wanted to go to sleep. Why was Rayleigh still taking up her time, even if she had shown herself anything but hospitable since he had shown up?

“As you know, Luffy has decided to train with me.”

Hancock knew, and she was grateful for Rayleigh to have made the offer. Luffy had a frightening powerful will, and he was _strong_ , there was no doubt about that, but he was not strong _enough_ if he wanted to continue fighting his way through the world the way he had done so far. Hancock had seen him at Marineford, bleeding and broken, she had seen the injuries with which he had arrived on Amazon Lily, fought through Impel Down and broken down after the murder of his brother. He could not allow himself to be this weak if he wanted to carry on. Staying out of the spotlight to build his strength was a good plan, and Rayleigh seemed to be a good teacher.

“I am aware. And like I said, I will happily sail the both of you to Rusukaina with my ship.”

“Well, there is something else we would need your ship for.”

Suspicion crept up in Hancock’s mind. No matter how much she gave, it would never be enough, would it?

“Speak clearly, so we can get this over with. You swam here, what do you need my ship for?”

“Luffy’s crew were dispersed throughout Paradise by Bartholomew Kuma, that’s how he arrived on Amazon Lily. Before that, they agreed to meet on Sabaody in three days, the time it takes me to coat a ship. We do not know where the others are, but we need to give them a message that the plans have changed without making anyone else aware of it.”

“And how do you want to achieve such a feat? If you do not know where they are, it would necessitate a global broadcast of this message.”

Rayleigh grinned. His insufferable and frightening self-confidence was back.

“Right now, Luffy is one of the people who has the attention of the entire world on him. We will take advantage of that and hide the information in plain sight.”

As Rayleigh explained his plan, Hancock had to admit she was impressed. It was strong, the chances high that only the other Strawhats would be able to understand the code hidden in the tattoo and yet the symbolism of the entire adventure would resonate with many people, spreading a message on its own. However, leaving Amazon Lily with the crew to man the Perfume Yuda as Rayleigh requested would not be without danger. It would leave the island vulnerable. It felt wrong to leave the Kuja alone in these circumstances, taking the strongest fighters with her for this expedition. Hancock wanted to lay low on Amazon Lily after the war, let the situation calm down and stay close to her people in case she needed to protect them.

Rayleigh seemed to sense her hesitation.

“It will not take long. The Marines would not dare attack the island without reason, not after they’ve lost so many fighters in the war. And the Kuja are strong, they can hold the island on their own,” he said. 

He was right. Hancock was strong, but she was not the only one. Maybe it was time to trust her people a little bit more. And Hancock could not suppress the feeling of anticipation which bubbled up inside her at the mere thought of dangling the weakness of the Marines and the World Government directly under their noses, for all the world to see.

“How about a deal? I will lend you my ship for this if you agree to give me information.”

“If I do indeed have the information you want, of course.”

Hancock took a deep breath. Once she asked this, there was no going back. Then again, she had already shut the door behind her when she had already toyed with the idea the moment Rayleigh proposed it, maybe even before.

“If I were — hypothetically speaking, of course — to visit my brother one day, where could I find him?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shaoxing wine is a type of chinese rice-wine.  
> While rereading this chapter for edits and stuff, I once again noticed how stiff the writing style is? I will admit, I like it this way and think it fits the story, but I can understand if that's quite weird for a lot of people to read bc it's not a more "typical" fanfiction writing style if that makes sense? Especially not for One Piece which normally has a more airy and aloof atmosphere. What do you think about it?  
> I have to admit, for a fic that is centred around the fact that Mihawk and Hancock are siblings, there is not a lot of talk about Mihawk so far. But you’ll get to see him next chapter, I promise.


	3. Gloomy Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After 4 months spent searching for him, Hancock finally manages to track Mihawk down on Kuraigana Island. She decides to finally meet her brother properly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy was this chapter hard to write. As it turns out, Mihawk's way of talking is incredibly difficult to bring to the paper and I'm still not sure I'm happy with the end result. Well, now I've posted it so it's for you guys to decide if you like it or not. 
> 
> On a much more important note, the absolutely fantastic kath-illustrates on Tumblr made some art for this fic and it is AMAZING! [Please check it out, it's so, so good!!!](https://kath-illustrates.tumblr.com/post/628775626128687105/boa-hancock-visiting-her-brother-for-3-days#notes)
> 
> And now enjoy reading the new chapter, I hope you like it!

The crisp ocean air filled Hancock’s lungs to the brim as she stood on the prow of the _Perfume Yuda_ and stared into the horizon from between the heads of the two Yuda snakes. Behind her, the crew was still enjoying their latest hijacked treasures and she could hear everyone screaming whenever something of great value or interesting was discovered and added to the logbook. Hancock smiled at their joy but otherwise paid them no mind. Her warriors were strong and capable, and she had other matters to think about.

Since Luffy had started his training on Rusukaina with Rayleigh and everything had gone back to some semblance of normalcy, four months had passed. Four long months she had spent searching in the hope of finding the information she needed — information Rayleigh should have been able to give her when she had agreed to help him, Luffy, and Jimbei with their stunt in Marineford.

When she had asked him about Mihawk’s whereabouts, he had seemed at loss and admitted to having no idea where he lived. It was a mystery to Hancock how the right hand man of the Pirate King could not know where to find his own son, but in the end, she had accepted the harsh reality. If she wanted to find Mihawk, Rayleigh was not capable of helping her. He had no Vivre Card, no transponder number, nothing to help her in her quest to get in contact with her brother. A brother, as she had recently and painfully learned, was something easily lost, after all.

The only thing Rayleigh knew was that Mihawk, for some unfathomable reason, spent most of his time in Paradise and seemed to avoid the New World with intriguing certainty. He had raised this as the main reason why they saw each other so little — Mihawk’s recent visit to Sabaody was the first time in years he had been on his way to the second half of the Grand Line.

And so Hancock had reduced the search field for Mihawk to Paradise; it had been a first step, but a very small one at that. Her information network, the Kujas spread throughout the ocean who normally helped gather intel on interesting marks and ships worth attacking, had spent weeks without being able to find anything helpful. Mihawk seemed to have vanished from the surface of the Earth. Where the last years had been regularly dotted with reports about his wrathful attack on some armada or Pirate base, telling fearsome stories about a man without mercy and the skill to destroy islands if he wanted to (Hancock suspected the latter to be some kind of exaggeration), no one seemed to have seen him or heard of him since the Paramount War. It was no surprise to Hancock, as most bigger players had retreated and appeared to wait for the next move from their opponents from the shadows, but it was very inconvenient. It gave her the impression Mihawk did not want to be found, no matter what the Rayleigh said.

Then, one month ago, a call from the other part of the Grand Line had come in. She had found finally found Hawkeyes, the Kuja said, through an order of provisions to the store she worked at. She had noticed it because of the great amount of wine ordered, an expensive kind they had to order especially for this customer. When she had followed up on his past purchases, they could be traced back to an island which hosted a long destroyed Kingdom and which was supposed to be completely deserted. The Kuja had taken to deliver the provisions in person to verify her hunch and indeed, it was Dracule Mihawk who seemed to spent more money on wine than a single man should be allowed to drink in a lifetime.

One week later, the _Perfume Yuda_ and the crew sailed off for another trip, longer this time and farther away from Amazon Lily. Hancock had justified the unusual route to the others by reminding them of the fragile state of the world, the necessity to steer all attention away from Amazon Lily and by ignoring the questions she did not want to answer. It had not taken too much effort, really. After all, she was their princess, and as long as they came back with a hull full of food and treasures, no one would complain.

She had come to an agreement with the crew that they would make port at an nearby island which was famous for its merchants and markets, trading goods from all over the world. It was also the island on which the shop Mihawk bought his wine from was located. The crew, led by Marigold, who was in charge of financial negotiations and Sandersonia, who liked to frighten their commercial partners, would sell some of their cargo and buy all the necessary provisions they would need to continue on their tour. In the meantime, Hancock would make a small trip of her own. The distance between the two islands was nothing more than a few hours if the wind was good, and Hancock was a skilled sailor in her own right. Depending on Mihawk and whether or not he would truly be as welcoming as Rayleigh had made him out to be, the trip would take her less than a day.

When they docked at the port, the local Kuja was already waiting for them. She dressed as if she belonged there and no one else would have been able to pic her out from the crowd, but Hancock recognized her Haki immediately. She was sitting next to a small ship with a single sail, made to be sailed alone and overall unsuspicious. When they made eye contact, Hancock nodded and the Kuja warrior stood up, walking away towards the bustling city which opened up behind the borders of the stone piers. The crew followed her from a safe distance, as not to threaten her cover and within minutes, Hancock was alone.

After grabbing her bag, which was filled with fresh water, something to eat, clothes to change into and the navigational tools to go out on the high sea, Hancock made her way to the small ship. It was nothing more than a boat, really, but it was perfect for what she was about to do. She stashed her bag in the small cabin, and immediately set sail. Soon enough, Salome, who had been following her in the water as not to arise suspicion, slithered up onto deck. Within half an hour, the merchant island was out of sight and the prow of the boat split the waves in the same direction the eternal pose to Kuraigana — left inside the cabin as instructed — pointed to. The wind was calm and steady and no other ship was in sights. Hancock headed back inside the cabin to change. No matter what she hoped for, she did not know how this encounter with Mihawk would go. Practical clothing was of the essence when facing someone with his level of skill. She could not allow one of her dresses to take up her concentration or she would potentially be cut in half. A pair of comfortable trousers, several layers of silk as a jacket under a warm fur-brimmed coat and close-fitted, soft, leather boots would have to do. Hancock hoped Mihawk would not go this far as to make Hancock’s choice of clothing worth the time invested in it.

As she approached the island, Hancock could make out a single pier from her boat. No matter how often she let her gaze wander along the shore through her telescope, there simply did not seem to be another place to take land without having to wade through the ocean to get to dry land. Adding the heavy clouds covering the sky and the thick, dark forest rising as soon as the beach ended in some semblance of a protective wall, Kuraigana was not the inviting kind of island.

Several minutes later, Hancock steered her boat to slide up along the planks protruding into the sea, hauled in her sail and attached it with a solid clove hitch around the single metal ring attached to a wooden post. It was difficult to see further inland, shadows and darkness taking over the field of vision as soon as Hancock tried to peer further into them.

“Kuraigana. Well, yes, it _is_ gloomy, thank you for asking,” mumbled Hancock as she took in her environments and tried to decide on her next course of action. Nothing indicated that this was the place where only several years ago an impressive kingdom had ruled. There was nothing of Shikkearu left — or at least nothing Hancock could see so far. The moment she stepped onto land, it was as if her clothes were immediately run through with dampness, like freshly washed but not yet completely dry.

“Well, the weather hasn’t changed, that I can say. I don’t know why I expected otherwise,” Hancock said out loud. She was alone and the grim, oppressing atmosphere did not help make her feel at ease, but hearing a voice, even if it was just her own, allowed her to feel better.

Faint, high pitched laughter came from the forest.

Hancock was not alone. Not anymore. Maybe she never had been.

Spreading out her Haki, she tried to get a grasp on who else was there, but she could not feel anyone. It was as if the sound, the voice which was clearly getting louder, getting closer with each passing second, was just a product of her imagination. Hancock stayed silent. Showing hesitation — showing fear — would only put her at a disadvantage. Salome slithered closer to her, ready to protect her at moment’s notice, and they both stared into the dark brush of the forest.

The laughter grew louder. Hancock readied a shot from her Pistol Kiss. Whoever was coming, she would not let herself be caught in a surprise attack.

No branches rustled, no leaves fell. There was no sound from the forest except the soothing, treacherous howl of the wind flowing through the treetops. She cocked her hand, aiming between the leaves, where she suspected the laughing person was hiding.

It came out of nowhere. No movement, no parting of the branches indicated what Hancock saw was real. And yet, a small, white ghost with over exaggerated features walked, no, floated through two trees and stopped in front of Hancock, only a few meters away. It had two pitch black holes resembling eyes and a single deep red circle which seemed to be its lips.

The ghost looked like a children’s drawing. It laughed again. It sounded like one as well.

Hancock did not lower her hand. She would not let herself be lured into false confidence by the childlike appearance of this thing. After all, appearances could be deceitful, as she knew all too well from personal experience. It had taken Hancock’s opponents long enough to recognize that her beauty and elegance did not limit her in the violence and brutality she was willing to inflict on them. She was too experience to commit the same mistake in relationship to cuteness. Unsettlingly enough, it seemed to her as if this wasn’t the first time she had seen this creature.

“I am here to see Dracule Mihawk,” Hancock called out. She did not know whether the ghost could hear her, but even if it didn’t and someone else was lurking nearby, trying to make her appear like a fool, she would not fall for a trap. If she was all alone with this ghost, no one would be any wiser.

The ghost cocked its head to the side. Then, it turned around and flowed back into the forest. Before disappearing completely, it turned around once more. Hancock had not moved a single step. A long white tendril, somewhat like an arm, detached itself from the ghost’s main form and made a beckoning motion toward her. Hancock could either wait here and do nothing, go explore the island on her own with no certainty she would find what she was looking for, or she could follow the ghost. In the end, she didn’t have much choice.

Salome’s presence at her side helped Hancock calm down as she took the first steps into the dark, grim, all-engulfing forest.

Fallen leaves crunched between Hancock’s boots with every step she took. She could barely see anything and relied on the eerily glowing presence of the ghost in front of her. She could feel the presence of numerous animals around her, but they all seemed to keep away; whether from her or from the ghost, Hancock could not tell.

Then, abruptly, as if someone had traced a straight line behind which no trees were allowed to grow, the forest ended and gave way to the spectacular sight of a mansion. No, it was more than a mansion — a castle, and one that was well maintained at that. It was built out of white stone, whith giant windows plastering the front. Wide steps lead up to a great gate; an open gate, in which two people were standing. They were waiting for her.

The ghost laughed again and floated up to the left figure, a young woman, maybe even a girl, with bright pink hair. She looked familiar as well, but Hancock could not place where she might have seen her. Her attention was taken up by much more important matters, anyway, for the second person standing in the gateway way unmistakingly Dracule Mihawk.

Just like on the Warship at the Red Line, he stared at here with those frightening golden eyes of his, as if he could see right into her soul.

Rayleigh had said he wanted to see her. Hancock would not let herself be intimidated by horror-stories invented by people who had gotten on Mihawk’s bad side. She was his sister, after all, and if Rayleigh had been wrong and he did not want to see her, she would not make the fight easy for him.

As she walked up the steps, back straight and looking right ahead of her, Hancock missed the regular click of her heels on the cold and hard stone. They would have given her authority, control and calm, even if they were a hindrance in combat. But she steadied on, the soft sole of her boots finding steady ground beneath her and lifting her forward and upward with every step.

Mihawk said something to the pink haired girl, something Hancock could not understand from how far away she still was. It did not appear to be something the girl liked however, as she pouted, threw her arms in the air and screamed “I’m never allowed to be part of the fun stuff!” before stomping away.

“I’m glad you found your way here. Apologies for the less than optimal state of the path to the castle. We are still figuring out how to repair most things,” Mihawk said. Despite having stood next to him at Marineford, Hancock could not help but be surprised at how small he was. She had always imagined he would tower over her, at least a head taller, but as she finally stood in front of him, they were nearly at eye level. He was her big brother in age only.

“The ghost; is it the girl’s?”, she asked in return. She felt oddly stiff, as if she was talking to a stranger; which she was, but she had hoped for something different, something lighter, maybe. Mihawk was her brother and yet speaking to him felt nothing like talking to Sandersonia or Marigold or even Gloriosa. It was strange; Hancock did not like this feeling. This should be easier. She had already made the first step by coming here. Now it was Mihawk’s turn.

“Yes. Perona has eaten the Hollow Hollow Fruit. The observational skills this gives her is very useful. Come in.”

With a gracious gesture, Mihawk stepped aside and let Hancock inside the castle. It was still cool, maybe a few degrees warmer than outside but nothing overly noticeable. A thick dark red carpet covered the floor, swallowing the sound of their steps. Candles were fixed to the wall in a regular distance, but only half of them seemed to be actually lit, drowning the corridor in faint shadows and making it hard to see where Mihawk was leading Hancock; yet, he seemed absolutely certain of the direction he was taking. When they arrived at a corner, he took a candelabra and lit the wicks on one of the other candles.

“Do you know Perona?”, he asked, the first words he had said since inviting Hancock into the castle.

“Why would I?”

“She was one of Moria’s subordinates until not too long ago. I thought it possible you two might have met in the past.”

Hancock didn’t respond to that. Instead, she silently followed him until he stopped in front of a wooden door on the left side of the wall and opened it for her.

When Hancock had first laid eyes on the castle, she was not surprised about it. Quarters like these were fitting for someone like Mihawk, working well with the somewhat aristocratic appearance he exuded. It was cold, dark and unforgiving. All in all, perfect for the image the world had of the cold, dark and unforgiving Warlord. As she stepped into the living room — for this is what the room Mihawk had led her to was — this image of him and his accommodations was turned on its head.

The room was warm. Hot even. Opposite the door was a chimney, with a blazing fire roaring inside it. The right wall was hidden by big shelves, filled to the brim with books; the left held what seemed to be a small bar above which hung a grand mirror, framed in gold and beneath it, a long shelf stretching all along the wall, with a few bottles and glasses standing on top. Despite the cold light brimming in from the tall windows on either side of the hearth, the room gave a sense of comfort and cosiness. In the middle, on a low table made out of small wood, were an open bottle of wine, a glass filled with the dark red liquid, a carafe of crystal clear water and an empty glass, and a tea set: cups, pot, sugar box and spoons all included.

“Please, make yourself comfortable.” Mihawk pointed to the two burgundy sofas framing the table from each side and sat down on a matching armchair with a high back. With a flourishing movement, Hancock threw her coat over the armrest and let herself glide into the cushions. Salome slithered up the back and rested her head on her shoulder. She took her time truly taking her brother in. He was different than she had imagined him, different than he had appeared in Mary Geoise or at Marineford. This time, he was wearing neither his hat nor the matching coat. He was not carrying his black sword either. Now that Hancock thought about it, she had not seen the very impressive blade anywhere. Instead, Mihawk had dressed down, in relaxed clothing, one might even have called it casual wear. A wide, white shirt which he had not bothered to close, with ruffles along the neckline, and a simple, fitted pair of black trousers. It was a simple outfit, clothes a man who had nothing to prove or no one to impress might wear. Or someone who had not expected to receive any guests.

During Hancock’s observation, Mihawk stayed silent. His fingers were toying with the stem of his wine glass.

“It is kind of ironic, isn’t it?”, asked Hancock to break the silence, the very same moment Mihawk said: “I’m glad you came.”

“You first. Please,” Hancock immediately ceded. She had made the first step, as Rayleigh had told her to. Now it was Mihawk’s turn, and she would not let him escape the opportunity to make some concessions as well. He had known far longer about her than the other way around, after all.

He looked her in the eyes. It was unnerving, but Hancock stared back. She would not draw back, not now, not when she had come this far.

“You know who I am.” It was phrased like an assertion, nothing more than an observation, yet Hancock could hear the uncertainty swinging with it, faint, barely noticeable if she hadn’t been asking herself the same question. It did not appear as if he was going to attack her. Hancock relaxed slightly and leaned forward to pour herself a cup of tea. The beverage was still steaming when she took the porcelain into her hands.

“Yes. Shakuyaku- _Our_ mother told me when I became Empress 11 years ago. Rayleigh confirmed it recently. Now, how long have you known?”

“It must be 25 years ago. Rayleigh was still sailing with Gol D. Roger at the time, and your youngest sister, Marigold, had just been born. It was coincidence that we ended up on the same island at all.”

“25 years, and you have never thought about reaching out to us.” Hancock knew she sounded accusatory and that’s because she was. Maybe things would have been different, would have been _easier_ if she could have talked to Mihawk, confided in him earlier. Though she doubted she would trust herself to confide in him now.

Mihawk sighed and took another sip of wine.

“Indeed, I haven’t. Neither have you, if I might add, even though you’ve had enough time to do so. And you’ve come alone, which leads me to suspect Sandersonia and Marigold do not know about me.”

Hancock could feel the rage begin to boil in her, threatening to blow over, but Mihawk did not let it come this far.

“I never reached out and for that I am sorry. Truly. According to Shakky, the three of you were safe on Amazon Lily; since she had not deemed it necessary to fill either of you in on your parentage and I had no desire to return to the island, I went on, sailing the six seas as normal. Well, until-“

He made a pause, as if to give Hancock the time to say something herself. She waited, brow cocked, until he continued. Until what?

“Until I received the news that the three of you had been kidnapped from the boat.”

Cold dread washed over Hancock and extinguished all anger she could have felt, replacing it with heavy, all encasing terror.

“You-“

“I know about that part of your life as well, yes.”

Hancock did not know what to say. Her finger gripped around the tea cup in her hand as if it were a lifesaving anchor. The burn mark on her back was once again aflame, tearing her skin apart and taking the breath from her lungs. Mihawk was one of the Seven Warlords, and _he had known-_

“We did not find out the World Nobles were involved until you found your way back to Sabaody. Together, and taking into account what you had suffered through, we decided it would be best if you returned to Amazon Lily, where you felt safe and protected and I, a man affiliated with the World Government of all things, kept quiet. Originally, I had planned to wait how things evolved, how you dealt with the entire situation. Maybe I had hoped to get to know you when you had… gained some distance from those years.”

Hancock scoffed. There would never be a way for her to distance from the things that had been done to her; done to any of them. The tea in her cup trembled from the strength of her grip.

“Next thing I knew, two years had passed and you were elected captain of the Kuja Pirates and Empress, immediately followed up by your Warlord-title. After that, I felt I would be overstepping your boundaries if I were to approach you. I had missed my chance and you clearly did not need me anymore. This was — and I see that now — clearly a wrong assumption on my part.”

Hancock’s eyes were burning but she did not allow her tears to fall. Something was clawing up its way up her throat. It erupted from her in dry, hoarse cry.

“ _I clearly did not need you anymore?_ How dare you speak those words to me? How dare you presume to know who or what I did or did not need!”, she screamed, louder than she would have thought possible. Her cup of tea, still half full, tumbled from her knees and fell on the thick, plush, dark carpet covering the floor. As if by a miracle, it did not break, but the beverage spilled out and stained the fabric. Hancock did not pay attention and she did not care. When she had stood up and finally looked at Mihawk, she was taken aback by his gaze. There on his face, to read clear as day, was a look of nothing but pure regret. Not the scorn Hancock had expected at her righteous, yet harsh accusations, not the pity someone who did not truly understand what she had gone through might have shown. And had Hancock been a kinder person, a more forgiving person, a person to whom empathy came naturally, she might have lowered her guards and heartily welcomed Mihawk’s earnest if slightly misplaced attempt at understanding her and making her understand him.

But Hancock wasn’t this person. She was stubborn, and prideful, and angry, an anger festered and forged for years in the pain of her soul, and _she would not forgive Mihawk this easily_.

“You had the opportunity to make a choice, over and over, and each day you woke up you chose to leave us- to leave _me_ alone. Do you even know why I’m here? Because Rayleigh, your father, _came_ to Amazon Lily and he told me if I wanted us to ever know each other, _I_ would have to be the one to come to you, because _you_ would never do the same for me. He told me you had asked _him_ how we were, like the coward that you are, instead of facing us yourself. All these years, you knew where I was, where _Sandersonia_ and _Marigold_ were, you saw me become a Warlord under the orders of the World Government even though you knew what they had done to me, you stood next to me at Marineford and still, you chose to stay silent! You chose to make me fight on my own.”

Hancock’s tears fell to the floor, meddling with the now cold tea soaking the carpet. Her breath was heavy, her shoulders heaving. Mihawk paid his ruined furniture no attention as he stood up and walked forward, only the two steps that separated them, pushing the discarded tea cup the side with his foot, until he was standing right in front of her; and then he stopped. Hancock could see the tension in his body, she could feel it, and yet he did not force himself any closer. Another sob tore through her body. And then, she did what she had sworn herself not to do, not to give in.

Hancock took another step towards Mihawk.

His arms wrapped around her, like a blanket shielding her from the rest of the world and suddenly, she felt safe. Protected. Not alone.

“I just wanted someone to be on my side. To be _at_ my side,” she whispered. Mihawk said nothing and only pulled her tighter, his arms resting around her shoulders and his hands wrapping around her head. He was avoiding her back, Hancock realised. She was not alone anymore. Slowly, she let herself fully relax into the embrace. She had nothing to fear from her brother.

Hancock did not know how long she there, letting herself be held. When she finally began to distance herself from Mihawk and he dropped his arms, the sky outside was already beginning to grow darker, whatever that might mean on an island like Kuraigana.

There was still one question Hancock needed an answer to, before she could allow herself to think about other, easier things.

“Mihawk?”

“What is it?”

“You said you won’t return to Amazon Lily. Why?”

“It is the island of women. It is forbidden for men.”

“Yes, but you talked about _returning_.” Hancock lend her voice slightly more weight. She would not drop this topic until he gave her a satisfactory answer.

Mihawk sighed and looked to the ceiling. She could see him frown, but the crease between his brows disappeared quickly. Instead, he grabbed his shirt with one hand and pulled the neckline to the side, revealing his chest.

“I was raised on Amazon Lily for several years. It took us all some time to realize I didn’t belong there.”

It took Hancock a few moments to understand what Mihawk was saying, and then she saw the two scars underneath his pectoral muscles, stretching from his sternum to his sides where they disappeared under the white cotton. They were faint, clearly faded into the skin and had healed well. Hancock had seen similar ones quite often in her life already, mostly from former Kuja warriors who had discovered the island of women was not the home they needed, and more recently on several of the Level 5.5 escapees from Impel Down who had snuck onto the Warship she had used to chase down Luffy on Trafalgar Law’s submarine. She had offered the women of the party to join her on Amazon Lily, assured them that they would be welcome, as was tradition, but most of them had declined and stated they would rather fight with the Revolutionary Army and aid them in their quest for Freedom for the World Government. Mihawk was right. Amazon Lily was not the place for him.

“So you know Emporio Ivankov, then?”, Hancock asked instead.

“No, I travelled all the way to Drum Island for this. The doctors there are reputed to be the best one the Grand Line, and I am inclined to believe it.”

Hancock wondered how they compared to the Heart Captain who had pulled Luffy from the brink of death. Before she could fall deeper into this hole of dark thoughts she would have trouble climbing out of, Mihawk called her attention.

“Sake?”, he asked from the bar shelf on the other side of the room, holding an bottle in her direction. “It’s from the West Blue and very good, from what I’ve been told.”

“Yes, thank you. “ Gracefully, she accepted the drink and sat back on the sofa. It _was_ good, that much she had to admit.

“So, you like sake?”, Mihawk asked. He was still drinking wine.

“Yes.”

“How much do you know about it?”

“Quite a bit. Why?”, Hancock asked back. Where was he going with this? Rather than answering directly, he swallowed half of his glass in one go and let out an frustrated sigh.

“I… might have recently taken on a new student, who, while a very promising swordfighter, I cannot seem to convince to put the same amount of work into learning to differentiate and appreciate the finer qualities of wine. I might have more success with the beverage of his choice, in this case, Sake. Unfortunately, it is not my area of expertise and I fear this could lead to my attempts at teaching him ending up being rather unsuccessful.”

And so Mihawk told her about his new student, Roronoa Zoro, how he had first met him in the East Blue and about his captain, the young boy with the Strawhat who had turned the world upside down before disappearing from the face of the Earth four months ago. In turn, Hancock told her about the strange boy who had landed on her Island, saved her and whom she ended up following into the eye of the Storm to save his brother. She learned from Mihawk that the strawhat had been given to Luffy by Shanks, as a token for a promise he had made and then, already three glasses deep into the bottle since Hancock had arrived, he told a story from his youth, when they still duelled regularly, and how the mighty and frightening Emperor had made a fool out of himself by falling face first into the mud in his desperate attempt to impress a young woman he had gotten to know on some island. Hancock laughed, and it was nice and light and freeing, and she felt at peace in a way she normally only could around her sisters or the other Kuja.

When she looked up, the sun had already set and it was pitch black outside. She had missed how late it had gotten. It was time to leave.

Mihawk took her glass and told her not to worry about the spilled tea, he would clean it up. When they were back in the cold and dark corridor, they nearly ran into the pink haired girl from earlier and a boy with green hair — Perona and Roronoa Zoro. The later immediately and accusatorily pointed at the other.

“It was her, she was spying on you.”

Perona shrieked an outraged _Hey!_ and Mihawk sighed. Somehow it reminded Hancock of Rayleigh. She wondered if the old man had been like that when he was younger.

“Yes, Roronoa, I noticed. Perona, your ghosts are not as unsuspicious as you imagine them to be,” he added towards Moria’s former subordinate. “This does not explain why the two of you are cowering in the corners of my castle like some common thieves.”

“I heard you talk about Luffy. About what happened to him after Sabaody.” Zoro said. The words were careful, as if he was shy to somehow talk about his captain in front of Hancock, but quickly gained in strength as he went on. It was impossible to miss how important Luffy was to Zoro. Hancock’s heart swelled slightly in her chest. It appeased her to know that he would be surrounded by people who believed in him like this once his training with Rayleigh was over.

“I will leave you two alone to talk,” Mihawk said and continued down the hall. Perona floated down to follow him immediately, shouting all the way.

“You didn’t tell me she was your sister! Hey, Mihawk, why didn’t you tell me?”

Then they turned the corner and were gone. Hancock turned to Zoro again. He looked slightly intimidated, but bore her look with strength and without baking down.

“I read the newspaper, about the Battle at Marineford and about Luffy, how he came back. But I really need to know from someone who’s seen him, who knows him better than those journalists do: How is Luffy?”

There was an indescribable pain in his gaze. Even if Hancock wanted to, she could not have lied to him.

“He’s alive. He will live. But he fought a fight he was ready to die in and lost but survived. That has and will leave its scars. He decided to carry on because he believes that his crew- that you all are alive. I do not think he will truly heal until he sees you all again, if he ever will.”

As she said this, Roronoa Zoro somehow stood straighter, as if a weight has been lifted of his shoulders. His face however, began to slightly redden, as if in shame.

“Well, as for seeing him again… On Sabaody we said we would meet up in three days, but-“

Hancock continued to look at Luffy’s first mate without saying a single word. It was fun to see him squirm like this.

“Please tell me I understood the code correctly? That we’re meeting up in two years? He’s not wasting his time on Sabaody right now and I asked Mihawk to train me for nothing, right?”

Hancock barely repressed a chuckle. Maybe Mihawk could use the two years to teach him how to use his brain on top of swordfighting and viticulture.

“Yes, you understood his message correctly. He’s very impatient to see all of you again. And he expects all of you to get stronger.” The last part Hancock said with more seriousness. She would not allow anyone two stay on Luffy’s side who would hinder him in the search for his dream. Thankfully, Roronoa Zoro looked insulted that she even dared to think he might do anything but give his all.

“Of course.”

“Then we have nothing to worry about.” Hancock smiled. The swordsman was less flustered than she had assumed he would. “Do you want me to pass on a message to him?”

Zoro shook his head.

“No. He trusts us, and that is enough. All I have to say to him can wait until the crew is reunited again.” He looked confident again. Much more the person Hancock had imagined him to be when Mihawk had told her about their fight in the East Blue. Together, they walked to the gate leading outside. Twice, she had to keep the younger swordsman from taking a wrong turn.

Mihawk, who has holding a lantern, and Perona were waiting outside. One of her ghosts was floating nearby and giggling ominously. As soon as Hancock had caught up, Perona grabbed Zoro by the collar and dragged him back inside the castle, whispering furiously. What she said, Hancock could not understand. Instead, she turned to Mihawk.

“Thank you for coming here. It was good to finally talk to you,” he said and held out a folded piece of paper. Curious, Hancock took it. Inside were written a string of numbers in a neat, angular handwriting.

“The number for my Transponder Snail. If you ever need someone to be at your side.”

Smiling, Hancock tucked the small paper into the pocket of her trousers.

“You know I can fight well enough on my own, don’t you, mister ‘Greatest Swordmaster in the World’?”

Hancock intended it as a jab, but Mihawk did not laugh. Instead, he stared back into the castle, where Zoro and Perona had disappeared into, a sombre look on his face, before facing her once more.

“I know. But strange times are coming. Even the strongest of us will not be able to face them alone.”

He was right, no matter how much Hancock disliked to admit it. All things were changing, faster than she had anticipated. They would have to stand strong, side by side, to resist the pull of the sea and be drowned in the strong tides of the open ocean that was the Grand Linde. Tides that were becoming stronger every day.

“If you decide to tell Sandersonia and Marigold about me, they can reach me through that number as well,” Mihawk added.

“No.”

“What?” For the first time since Hancock had properly met him, Mihawk looked confused.

“I will not let you make the same mistake twice. If you want to talk to Sandersonia and Marigold, you will have to go tell them you are their brother in person.” Hancock took the lantern from his hand.

“I will call. And you will make sure Zoro does not injure himself too badly. I cannot imagine Luffy would be too happy if his first mate came back with a limb missing.”

Then Hancock turned around, cape waving in the wind, and followed Perona’s ghost into the damp and gloomy forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hancock finds Mihawk on Kuraigana like Alana Bloom does for Hannibal Lecter in Florence in NBC‘s Hannibal — good wine seems to be the downfall of men to whom culture and gastronomy is important.  
> Oh and also I re-read parts of Marineford and decided the outfit Oda gave Hancock for fighting is absolute bullshit so Hancock gets to wear actual trousers in this chapter! There isn’t much focus on her clothes, but I wanted to include it regardless.  
> According to the OP wiki, Kuraigana translates to “It’s gloomy, isn’t it?” and Shikkearu to “Oh, it’s damp.” so it truly was a captain obvious who was in charge of first naming these places and now you understand why Hancock makes these snappish remarks when she first arrives!  
> Another info: we don’t know when Mihawk became a Warlord, and we cannot even really place him in comparison to the others, so for the timeline of this series, I decided he would be offered and accept the position in 1502, so 2 years after Roger’s execution and 3 years before the Boa Sisters are abducted and sold into slavery.


	4. Shifting tides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Seven Warlords of the Sea have been abolished. As the world is changing, Hancock and Mihawk are turning to new allies in their quest to imprint their will on the ever-turmoiled sea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-Da! The last chapter of this specific fic (unless Oda decides to give us some insight soon into what happened with Hancock and Mihawk and it happens to work with what I imagined for this specific chapter >.>)  
> Thank you so much for everyone who read this story, has left kudos and written comments, both here and on Tumblr, which motivated me to finish this fic in record time (special shoutout to LesYeuxDeLilith, your comments made my day each time I read them!)  
> Additional info for a bit of world building:
> 
> I decided to make the position of Empress of Amazon Lily more similar to how Captaincy in real 18th century pirate crews worked, aka Hancock was elected into the position and can be stripped of it whenever the majority of adult Kuja decide she is unfit to hold the title, but there are no regular elections so it’s not a democracy. It should be clear in the chapter, but I wanted to establish that in case I do not explain it as well as I thought in-text. It's not like politics and the systems behind them are explicitedly explained in the manga. 
> 
> And now enjoy the new chapter! I hope you like it <3

Hancock could still see the smoking remains of the Warships in the distance while the crew sailed back to Amazon Lily. Sandersonia was busy bandaging the still bleeding wound on her arm where the blade of the leading captain had struck her. The Marines had put up a valiant fight but as expected, they had lost in the end and been forced to retreat to lick their wounds. However, the Kuja had only won one battle and the war had yet to be decided. There was no doubt Hancock would soon face a stronger delegation, the inevitable reaction to her public refusal of submitting to the World’s Government Will like a beaten dog. Everything could still happen, and she needed to be prepared.

“Call the mainland and make them prepare a war council for tomorrow. Both the crew and the guards shall be present. And let the informants call in. We need to establish what we will do next,” she ordered Ran, who was observing her in silence. Now that Hancock had been stripped of her Warlord-title, she had to find a different way to keep the island safe. Structural changes were necessary. Amazon Lily was a pirate nation and a strong one, but they were small and so far, they had faced all their battles alone. If things developed as Hancock expected them to do, with the world’s tides shifting with every new alliance being made, they would inevitably drown if they continued on the path they had successfully walked so far.

Hancock already knew who she would reach out to first. She could only hope the Kuja continued to trust her to lead them after she revealed her plan.

The people were screaming and celebrating as the crew arrived at the port. Ran and the others immediately called out to Kikyou, the leader of the Guards, no doubt to organize the strategic meeting. The rest of the crew spread out to their families and friends. They should celebrate tonight and take all the rest they could get. It would certainly be the last occasion to do so in a long time.

“Big sis, what shall we do next? Why do you want to call in a war council? We beat the Marines loud and clear, did we not?”, asked Marigold as she shadowed Hancock on her way to the palace.

“We did. But there is no doubt they will not be hesitate to retaliate soon enough. Our bounties will likely be updated and put even more attention on us. Everyone is moving, the World Government and the Emperors included. I have an idea, a potential ally, but I am not sure all of you will be happy with the idea.”

The bounties were another point of concern. The 80 and 40 Million originally put on the Boa Sister’s head were nothing compared to Hancock’s global counterparts, but 13 years were a lot of time and she could not gauge the range in which the Marines would place her now. Depending on the result, it could give her a lot of weight in future negotiations. “But I will discuss this with you tomorrow. First, I need to talk with Gloriosa. Make her come to the palace!”

“Of course, big sis!” Without waiting any longer, Marigold sprinted off. Her hawk screeched above them, high in the sky.

Once Hancock arrived at the palace, she cut off Enishida before she could say anything.

“Go to Sandersonia and Ran. They will update you on everything. I need to alone for the time being. To not interrupt me until Elder Nyon is here. And now everyone out.”

Hancock’s voice was strict and harsh as she gave the commands. The heavy doors to the throne room only drove her points further home as they closed behind the others with a definite thud.

With big, determined steps, Hancock walked to her transponder snail. She had no direct way of reaching the person she wanted to talk to, but she knew exactly where to start. But before she could take the receiver in hand, the animal began to speak with the old, familiar ringing sound indicating an incoming call.

Not many people had the number to Hancock’s personal snail. Considering the time and circumstances, it could only be one person.

“I was wondering when you would call. It took you longer than I had anticipated,” she greeted Mihawk before he could say anything. It only earned her a soft chuckle on his side.

“Can you blame me for taking my time? It is not every day I get to enjoy a fight against people who truly intend to kill me.”

He sounded happy, relaxed. Hancock could imagine him stretching in the sun on his little boat, letting the waves rock him like a gentle mother.

“Well, I hope you were harsh on them. We can save ourselves a lot of time by making the divide between our power and their squabbles clear. Or do you want insignificant nobodies wasting your time of day now that you’ve been declared free to hunt again?”

“Hm, I suppose not. But then again, that will be inevitable, will it not?”

“It’s your fault for being such a hermit. I bet you miss Zoro now that Luffy’s crew has found together again, no matter how much you complained about him during his training.”

Mihawk laughed again, this time deep and from the depth of his chest. Two years ago, when she had first visited him on Kuraigana, Hancock could never have imagined to speak so freely with her brother. She had called him as soon as she was back on Amazon Lily and they now talked regularly, though sparsely. There was nothing she could do against Mihawk’s reclusive nature. This was also the only way she could explain herself why he still had not told Sandersonia and Marigold about his existence, the coward.

Mihawk quickly turned serious again.

“What will you do next? Are the others safe?”, he asked.

“Yes. The Marines were no true obstacle, as expected. Although they had a very interesting captain, young, with pink hair. He managed to injure me. I think he was at Marineford as well.”

“Ah, yes. I believe I know who you’re talking about. If it indeed is Koby we’re talking about, he was trained by Garp himself, can you believe it? I guess after surviving that old man’s training regiment, everyone can become a force to be reckoned with. Roronoa told me about him, it seems the Strawhats and the boy know each other from the East Blue.”

“Hm. So what are you going to do? Continue glooming away on your island, cooking for Perona while you wait for the Marine’s to bring you your weekly workout dose?”

“Perona left one week ago.”

“My my, they grow up so fast, don’t they.”

Mihawk stayed silent for a few seconds. The snail looked at her with a deep scowl she could only imagine too well on her brother’s face. Although he had always hated Hancock for how she made fun of his two “children”, as she liked to call them, the fact that it was Perona who had chosen to leave instead of Mihawk throwing her out told her everything she needed to know.

“Still, what are you going to do now? Does losing your Warlord title even change anything for you?”

As far as Hancock knew, Mihawk had never really used it for anything. It was part of his reputation, the same way Yoru or his eyes were, nothing more, nothing less. Unless he decided to react to its loss, the abolition of the Warlord-Ysystem would have no further, inevitable consequences for him, not as it did for her and Amazon Lily.

“I suppose not. _But_ I think the time has come to repay Shanks for all the times he dropped in on me unannounced and emptied half my cellar in the span of a few days. I could finally get some use out of my acquaintance with an Emperor, even if it’s only to make Akainu shake in his boots.”

Hancock arched an eyebrow at Mihawk’s use of _acquaintance_. She did not know the full extend of his and Red-Hair’s history, had never pressed her brother for more details whenever the subject came up, but she was aware that the two men reached very far back. They were definitely friends, especially if she considered how fondly Mihawk talked of the other man, and she could not begin to fathom why he so stubbornly refused to admit it. Especially if he now envisioned actually joining him, which no doubt would cause another uproar across the oceans.

“I’ve never taken you for the type of joining a crew.”

“Who said anything about joining his crew? Even if he begged me for it, I refuse to take any responsibility for him and whatever infuriating plan he’s currently concocting. No, that’s Ben Beckmann’s problem and his problem alone. I was thinking more along the lines of… a public reminder that our generation has yet to have had its last words. The rookies may be the ones causing the most headlines at the moment, but we can’t let them be the only ones having fun, can we?”

Hancock chuckled. Luffy truly was causing chaos everywhere he went, and his colleagues seemed no different. But an alliance between an Emperor and an ex-Warlord, especially the one rumoured to be the strongest among them, would blow even those stories out of the water. Especially as the fame of Mihawk and Shanks’s previous duels still made its way across the oceans after all these years.

“But what about you? Any plans I should be aware of?”, Mihawk asked. Salome slithered up behind Hancock and folded itself over and over until she could sit down on its scales.

“As a matter of fact, yes! Well, if things go the way I want them to, you would hear the news soon enough, but I think it would be good for you to know what I’m doing, especially if you end up allying yourself with the Red-Hair. Because as it turns out, we all happen to have a common denominator.”

“Go on.”

Hancock leaned back, smiling.

“During the Paramount War, we learned about two people’s parentage. On one hand, Portgas D. Ace as the son of the late Pirate King, of course. However, I have always wondered what kind of person Luffy’s father might be like.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. Hancock smiled quietly to herself while she waited for her brother’s response. The transponder snail remained stoic, but she could imagine how Mihawk was thinking, weighing her words and their implication in his mind.

“You want to get in contact with the Revolutionary Army?”, he finally asked.

“Form a common front with them against the World Government, if my people agree to support it, yes.”

“It’s a bold move. Risky. Especially considering how weakened they are after the attack on the Reverie.”

“Yes, their Chief of Staff… I still don’t know what I should make of these news. Whether to put any trust in them at all. But- Their current situation is all the more reason for them to accept an alliance with us. We have a common enemy in the World Nobles and our fighting force could greatly enforce the threat they pose to Mary Geoise. I believe Emporio Ivankov will be able to vouch for me, for Amazon Lily’s loyalty to a cause.”

“Like I said, it is risky, but very promising, that I cannot deny. I wish you the best of luck, Hancock. Whatever your endeavour, you’ll have me at your side.”

“I know.” Hancock smiled softly. “And Mihawk?”

“Yes?”

“If your red-haired friends reveals himself to be too insufferable, even for your expectations, there are still two sisters waiting to learn of your existence.”

Mihawk sighed. The transponder snail looked miserable.

“Yes. I know,” he finally said. Slowly. Almost hesitantly. Hancock could not help but feel her heart ache for the family he was denying himself.

“Don’t worry. We are strong and I believe I will get through to Monkey D. Dragon. They will still be here, waiting for you, when all of this is over.”

Again, Mihawk stayed silent, but this time, Hancock liked to believe that it was a peaceful silent, and not one of tormenting regret. It was true what she had said. If Mihawk was not ready to reveal himself to Sandersonia and Marigold, she would not force him to, but she would do everything in her power to make it happen, which included keeping them safe and staying alive.

“Thank you. Best of luck on your negotiations with the Revolutionaries and on convincing the Kuja of the merit your plan has.”

“Let the Kuja be my problem. Now, sail over to your friend and don’t let the depths of the ocean crush you on your way to the New World.”

“Let’s see each other again in a New Age.”

The click on the other end of the line was definitive as Mihawk hung up and the Transponder Snail returned to its normal, neutral state. Hancock put her receiver back on the line before picking it up again and dialling a new number.

It had been two years since she had last seen Emporio Ivankov, but she was sure that her duties towards Luffy and his recovery were still fresh on the Revolutionary’s mind. They would get her a direct connection to Dragon, she was sure of that.

There was a click. The Transponder Snail began talking with big, overexaggerated motions, as if compensating for an abundance of make-up.

“Hello? Who is speaking? How did you get this number?”

“Ivankov? This is Boa Hancock. We met when I allowed Monkey D. Luffy to stay on my island to recover from the injuries he suffered at Marineford, two years ago. I have an offer to make the Revolutionary Army simply can’t refuse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I follow the manga-canon here, so no events of Stampede happened and Sabo and Hancock have never met. Now can Oda PLEASE tell us what happened with Sabo at the Reverie? I’m just dying to know!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story ! If you did, please leave a kudo, bookmark this fic, and/or tell me what you liked, either in the comments or on tumblr @[Mihawque](https://mihawque.tumblr.com/)!  
> If you think "Oh, this fic is too old to comment, that'll be weird": NO! I literally love hearing thoughts on one of my fics, no matter how long it has been since I wrote it! Trust me, comments make my day every single time! (and every other writers as well for that matter) :D  
> Next, I will write the second story in this series, which will go slightly back in time and explore Mihawk and Shanks's relationship throughout the years; how they got to know each other, their duels as well as their personal growth and development in those times.
> 
> The absolutely fantastic kath-illustrates on Tumblr made some art for this fic and it is AMAZING! Please check it out, it's so, SO good!!!  
> [The hug from Chapter 3 + Perona's reaction to the revelation that these two are siblings](https://kath-illustrates.tumblr.com/post/629066105652215808/my-favourite-part-of-tstf-ch3)  
> [Boa Hancock visiting her brother for 3 days vacation getaway on Kuraigana Island](https://kath-illustrates.tumblr.com/post/628775626128687105/boa-hancock-visiting-her-brother-for-3-days#notes)  
> [Sibling reunion part 2 feat. Sandersonia and Marigold this time](https://kath-illustrates.tumblr.com/post/629496845646823424/ts-tf-doodles#notes)  
> [These two just leaning on each other](https://kath-illustrates.tumblr.com/post/634165011062898688/consider-it-done-dear-ig-fan-the-serpent-and-the)  
> [These two but Mihawk is wearing Kuja clothes!!!](https://kath-illustrates.tumblr.com/post/635665953609367553/when-your-ig-fan-says-me-whatttt-again)
> 
> Have a wonderful day/evening/night!
> 
> Cheers  
> Mihawque


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